April 11, 2007

UK's cattle ID regulations changed
 

Cattle producers in UK can have their animals tested for DNA to identify its parents should they have failed to apply for cattle identification passports.

The move is one of the new changes to the cattle identification regulations which were introduced last week.

The Cattle Identification Regulations 2007, which introduced two changes to the current procedures, have abolished temporary calf passports to acquire a full passport before they are moved after birth. Once it obtains the full passport, the animal can no longer be moved using the temporary cattle passport.

The second change involves the DNA testing where applications have not been submitted within the required 27-day period.

By testing the calf and its mother, the farmers will be able to prove the relationship of the offspring and its mother.

The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) who made the changes, said this system can allow authorities to issue passports, when applications are late, without compromising traceability.

The basic rules on tagging, passports, recordkeeping and notifications to the Cattle Tracing System remain unchanged and the passport system was introduced to ensure traceability following the BSE crisis in the 1990s.